Starlow, the royal nurse!
by vzlaDavid
Summary: Set after the events of Bowser's Inside Story. Starlow decides to see how Bowser is doing after the last battle the Koopa King had against Mario and Luigi right after the trio defeated the Dark Star. Perhaps, Starlow can make Bowser have a change of heart. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: There's a criminally low amount of Starlow/Bowser fics so I decided to leave my little contribution with this fic. TBH no idea how long it'll be, since I'm just at chapter 2. There'll be no other pairings unless stated otherwise, but the focus will be Starlow/Bowser.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this mess made only to raise awareness about this pairing! :D**

 **(If this actually takes people's interest which I doubt, I will explain the basic point of how I will write the character and the world, since there are different interpretations of the Mario universe, just so people get a general idea of how the fic will be. Anyways, read now.)**

* * *

 _Chapter 1: Starlow's visit!_

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle._

"Ugh…" Grunted a loud, roaring voice.

"Your Evilness, do you require assistance?" Asked a raspy voice.

Bowser sat up on his bed. "Bah! I'm the Koopa King! All I need is for you to get out of my room and let me sleep already, Kamek!" Bowser demanded while pointing a finger at the raspy voice.

"... As you wish, Your Gruntiness." And with this, Kamek the Magikoopa left Bowser's chambers.

"Ugh." Said Bowser while plopping down into the bed, closing his eyes trying to sleep. "Ack. I can't seem to get any better!" Then he sat up again and looked at his bandaged arm. "Stupid thing, just get out of me already!" With his other hand, he began clawing away the bandages, until blood started dripping out of them. "OW! Too deep!" He plopped down into the bed yet again. "This isn't fair. I should be kidnapping Peach already! Not laying in bed while dressing like a mummy!" He complained to nobody.

* * *

 _Location: ?_

Through the Bowser's lands, there was floating a small, yellow and sparkling star sprite. Its destination was Bowser's castle. It had a smile on its face, which was its whole body, actually, through the journey.

 _I wonder how Bowser's doing_ , wondered the small star sprite.

* * *

"Lord Bowser! Dinner's ready! Mwehehe!" Said a loud and high-pitched voice that seemed to be all over the place through the other side of the door to Bowser's chamber.

"Come in!" Bowser commanded.

Suddenly, a Boo with a black bow-tie just materialized from the other side of the door, holding a plate with an humongous fried chicken. The Boo was staring at his wounded arm but wisely said nothing. The Boo put the plate of fired chicken on a night stand beside Bowser's bed.

"Now leave!" Bowser commanded.

Without saying anything, the Boo left.

With his bleeding arm, which was the closest to the chicken, he tried to reach it, but the pain just worsened. "OW! Bah, stupid thing!" Then he tried to reach the chicken with his other hand, but since he was resting all of his weight on his bleeding arm, the wound reached an apparent all-high peak of pain. "GROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" He roared from the pain while clutching the wound, trying to ease the pain.

"Your Loudness? Is everything alright?" He heard Kamek say from the other side of the door.

"LEAVE!" He shouted, and after a while of silence, he was sure Kamek left. He hmph'd, then looked to the chicken with such focus, it seemed like he was trying to make it float to his mouth.

"HELLO YELLO!" He heard a voice he easily recognized, he looked around the room, and a yellow ball with shoes and a star on top of her head was at one of the windows in his room.

"Chippy! What're you doing here? Perhaps you considered my offer to become one of my minions!" Then he roared in laughter.

"First, my name's not Chippy! It's Starlow!" She said annoyed, then floated inside the room, approaching Bowser. "Second- WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, BOWSER?" She yelled while floating closer to his bleeding arm. "WHAT. HAPPENED?" She asked again.

"Nothing!" He tried to swat her away with that same arm, but the only thing it did was get the bandages even bloodier. "OWWW!"

"Bowser, you're clearly hurt! Let me help you out!" Then she began looking around the room for something.

"I never gave you permission to help me!" Bowser said angrily despite being offered help.

"And people don't need your permission to help you, idiot!" She said while floating closer to him, holdingg a white box with her little feet. She put the box above the bed, beside Bowser, then opened it with a kick. "Now, raise your arm!" She said, and surprisingly, Bowser did so without arguing. She had white cloths in her mouth now, and was circling through the wounded arm, effectively applying more bandages. "There. Much better!" She said while contemplating her work. "What happened, Bowser!?"

Bowser just crossed his arms. "None of your business! What do you want?"

"Geez, you're welcome." Starlow said sarcastically. "I just came to check on you, see how you were doing."

"And why would you do that!? I am THE king of koopas! I have a whole army at my disposal!"

"And by the looks of it, they're not doing a good work."

"Ack, this is useless!" He said while punching the mattress he was laying in. "YOU're useless! At least do something useful and get me food!"

She hovered close to the fried chicken and looked at it for a minute. "No." She said.

"Eh? What do you mean 'no'!?" He said, now looking at her with an angry look in his face.

"Exactly that. You can't eat this." She overed close to Bowser's face. "I can't let you eat that."

There was a black, thick smoke coming from his mouth now. "WHAT!? I AM BOWSER, THE KING OF KOOPAS, YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO! NOW YOU EITHER GIVE ME MY CHICKEN OR-"

"Calm down."

Now there was fire coming out of his mouth. "ACK. AND DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, EITHER. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU-"

"Stop acting like such a kid." Bowser closed his mouth after this, staring angrily past Starlow's soul. "You'll need to calm down and act like a grown-up."

Bowser closed his eyes and crossed his arms again. "... Crud..." He muttered.

"Your Badness, is everything alright!?" They heard Kamek behind the other side of the door.

Before Bowser could speak up, Starlow beat him. "Actually yeah, come in." She said.

"Your Loudness? Who's there? Princess Peach?" He asked and opened the doors. The first thing Kamek saw was a yellow circle right in front of the door. "Hm? Who are you?"

Starlow just hovered close to the fried chicken. "Tell me, what is this?"

"It's, uh, fried chicken... who are you?" Kamek asked in confussion.

"And why are you feeding him this?" Starlow asked.

"It's Lord Bowser's favorite meal..." Kamek said, confused.

"Yeah, it is!" Bowser intruded into the conversation.

Starlow looked at him. "Calm down, act like a grown-up." She said, and Bowser pouted but said nothing else. Starlow looked at Kamek again. "Please bring a Mushroom soup, thank you."

"Eh, b-but who are you?" Kamek said. "And what're you doing here? Why are you bossing me around now? I'm in charge of Lord Bowser and all of a sudden you come here and-"

"I'll be his caretaker now, since you're doing such a sloppy job at it. Now, can you bring that Mushroom soup? Perhaps a Refreshing Herb tea as well?"

"W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ALL OF THIS!?" Kamek asked, now outraged, and turned his attention towards Bowser, who was, surprisingly, acting like a grown-up. "Lord Bowser, is-is any of this true?"

"Well, Bowser, why don't you tell him?" Starlow said while slightly tilting her whole body to the right.

Bowser was now looking between the stares of both the Magikoopa and the Star Spirit, and was hesitating for an answer. "Um..."

"Your Indecisiveness?" Kamek asked.

"Bowser?" Starlow asked.

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment about the choice of words of the two of them. "... Yeah, that's right. She's, uh, my caretaker now..." Bowser said hesitantly.

If Kamek noticed that hesitancy, he decided to not say anything, because he just adjusted his glasses. "Well, alright, I'll see to it that the requests are now done." He looked at Starlow and nodded. "Farewell, miss...?"

"Chippy." Starlow said almost instantly.

Kamek nodded again. "Farewell, miss Chippy." Then he got out of the room, closing the doors with magic. After he was gone, Starlow let out a sigh of relief.

"What was THAT for?" Bowser roared, and Starlow slowly turned to look at him with a smile on her face.

"Oh hey, thanks for playing along!" She said, still beaming a smile at him.

Bowser somehow was at a loss of words upon seeing her smile. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he coughed. "Well, it was nothing. It was, uh, amusing to see you boss Kamek around so easily. Yeah." Then he looked at the side while crossing his arms yet again. "I still don't know about that 'caretaker' stuff though. I have a whole army!"

"Well, it was really just an excuse, but you know, now that I think about it, it doesn't look like a bad idea."

"W-what do you mean?" Bowser asked, now turning to look at her.

"Hm, well, I mean I'm gonna take care of you, 'till you get better. Isn't that obvious?" She said, tilting her body to the right yet again.

"Y-you don't need to do that! I'm a king, I have plenty of minions to do that for me!"

"And none of them really care if they do it good enough. That's why I'm gonna help you." She reasoned.

"What gives you the right to belittle my army like that!?" He asked while pointing a finger at her now.

"Oh well, maybe it was your bleeding arm when I came here."

"W-well that was me and besides-"

"Or the fact that they bring you such greasy, unhealthy food when you're sick?"

"It was a personal request-"

"Or maybe it has to do with the fact that you were all alone when I came here?"

"They occasionally check on me..."

"That Magikoop- Kamek, right? He only came here because he heard you shouting at me like a child throwing a tantrum."

He crossed his arms and looked at the side irritated. "This is stupid..."

"Well, what do you say?" Starlow asked.

There was a moment of silence. After a while, Bowser just sighed. "Alright, you can take care of me, I guess."

Starlow was abou to tell him, yet again, that people didn't need his permission to help him, but then she thought, since she was talking with the 'prideful king of all koopas', this was "As good of an answer as I can get, I guess."

"Huh?" Bowser said while side-eyeing her.

Starlow just giggled, and it sounded like several rings chiming along. "Nothing."

"Just so you know," He turned to fully look at her now. "When all is done, I'll still be back into kidnapping business, got it?" He said.

"Oh yeah? Then Mario's gonna defeat-"

Bowser breathed fire at Starlow, which she narrowly avoided. "DON'T MENTION THAT NAME EVER AGAIN!" He calmed down after a while. "If... huff... if you're gonna stay here, don't mention him again AT ALL!" Starlow kept staring at him as if expecting something. He sighed irritated. "I mean... please, don't mention him again? Pretty please?"

Starlow smiled in approval. "Much better, Bowser! Alright, I won't mention Ma-" Bowser growled and Starlow gulped. "I mean... that name... again. Promise."

"Alright..." He looked at the side with arms crossed again. "So... are you just gonna sit here, or actually take care of me as you said?" He asked Starlow.

Starlow was about to say something, but was interrupted by a loud and high-pitched voice that seemed to be all over the place "Lord Bowser? Your request is now done! Mwehehe!"

"That was quick..." Bowser admitted out loud. "Come in!" And two Boos materialized, one holding a VERY huge bowl with steaming soup and a spoon inside the bowl, and the other holding a teapot set with a huge cup, but not as big as the bowl. They realized they had no space and were about to voice this, but Starlow quickly grabbed the plate of fried chicken, giving the Boos space for the new food, thus, they put the bowl and the teapot set where the fried chicken was.

"Now leave!" He said, and Starlow looked at him with an angry expression on her face. The Boos were about to materialize out of the room, but...

"Thanks for the food, guys!" Starlow told the pair of Boos, who turned around to bow at her, then left the room.

"What the heck? What was that for!?" Bowser asked irritated.

Starlow looked at him, still with an angry expression. "What was what for!?"

Bowser crossed his arms. "Servants don't need to be thanked." He spat.

"Seriously? Ugh..." She said indignantly. She hovered close to the food. "Anyways... do you need help eating?"

"... No..."

"Bowser?"

He sighed. "I don't NEED help, but you may have the honor of helping me." He said in an authoritative tone. Starlow giggled, still sounding like several bells. "Hey, what's so funny!?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing." She said. She then grabbed the teapot with her mouth, and poured some tea into the big cup. After it was almost full, she gently placed the teapot in the plate, then grabbed the ear of the cup with her mouth and hovered in front of Bowser, looking at him expectantly.

"What?" He said while reaising an eyebrow, and Starlow just kept hovering in place, since she couldn't answer. He tilted his head in confussion, then understood what Starlow was trying to do, and grabbed the cup by its bottom, and Starlow stopped biting the ear of the cup.

"Phew, aren't you slow." She said.

"Pfft." He said. He then blew away some steam from the tea. "Are you seriously expecting me to drink this?"

"It'll make you feel better." She said matter-of-factly.

"I prefer coffee..."

"Bowser..."

"Agh, alright, I'll drink this stupid tea!" He then downed the tea in one go, and put the cup in the plate of the set. "Satisfied now?"

She sighed kind-of-disappointedly. "Yeah, I guess, but you still need to eat your soup..."

He pointed a finger at Starlow. "Don't mistake me for that good-for-nothing plumber! I'm not eating anything that has to do with mushrooms! I don't even have any idea how the Boos managed to make a mushroom soup so quickly, since I'm pretty sure we don't have that filth here in my castle!"

"Ah, come on. Can you at least eat it before judging it?" She said while tilting her whole body to the right.

He crossed his arms. "No!"

"Please?" There was silence. "Pretty pleeeease?" She said while closing her eyes and smiling.

Bowser sighed. "Alright, gimme that soup..."

She put the bowl in top of her (somehow) and floated in front of Bowser so the bowl could be right in front of his face. Bowser hesitantly grabbed the spoon and filled it with soup. He blew some steam from the spoon and hesitantly put it inside his mouth. He savored the soup and his eyes widened. "Bowser? This bowl's kinda heavy... and hot..."

Bowser grabbed the bowl with one hand and agressively shoved spoon-fulls of soup inside his mouth with the other. "SO GOOD!" He said between spoons of soup.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with that filth?" Starlow said.

Bowser eructed in front of Starlow. "Bah! Just shut up, okay?"

"... You could use some manners, you know..."

"PFFT! You're talking to BOWSER the KING of KOOPAS! I don't need manners, you know!"

"And you wonder why Peach doesn't like you..." She muttered under her breath so Bowser couldn't hear her.

Bowser just ignored her and dropped the bowl beside the teapot. "I'm. So. Full!" He said while rubbing his shell where his belly is. "You know, I'm so full that I... I just..." He closed his eyelids and yawned. He then plopped down in the bed and adjusted the covers of the bed above him in a mess. He started to snore loudly.

* * *

 _Location: Peach's Castle._

In the Mushroom Castle, Peach was staring out into the night sky from one of the windows, fidgeting with her fingers nervously.

"Princess? Is everything alright?" An elder toad behind her asked, and she slightly turned her head to look at the voice, Toadsworth.

"It's alright, I guess." She turned to look at the sky yet again. "Thanks anyways, Toadsworth..."

"Princess, is it because of Miss Starlow, is it not?" Toadsworth said while raising an eyebrow.

Peach sighed. "Yes, that's it. I mean, I know I shouldn't worry since she's a Star Sprite, but still, this is Bowser we're talking about..." She hung her head, still not looking at Toadsworth. "He's injured and all, but what about his minions? I worry for poor Starlow..."

"Hmm. Why don't we give her a message to get back here then, Princess?" Toadsworth suggested while tilting his head to the side, and this time, Peach did turn her head to look at him, although with a raised eyebrow.

"... It was her idea, Toadsworth." Peach went back to staring at the night sky. "I mean, I also feel sorry for Bowser, but, I mean, someone like him would have no problem recovering, right?" She sighed. "I baked him a cake, so no ill feelings, right?" She said, trying to reassure herself. Deep inside herself, she cared about EVERYONE, even about Bowser, although in a much different way than how she cared for others.

"Do you perhaps want me to call for masters Mario and Luigi, then?" Toadsworth suggested, now gripping the top of his cane with both hands, his pose being firm.

"But it's so late..." She sighed. "First thing in the morning I want is to talk with them. But, in the morning... okay?"

"I understand, Princess Peach. I will get them both in the castle in the morning." Then he turned around to leave the room they were in. "Good night, Princess."

Peach turned her head around. "Good night, Toadsworth." She said with a smile, and Toadsworth responded nodding his head, and disappeared out of the room, then closed the doors. After he was gone, she sighed again.

Starlow had said this morning that she would go visit Bowser, see how he was doing. Peach couldn't help but worry, imagining what Bowser could possibly do to the poor Star Sprite just to get her yet again.

She sighed, again. "Please Starlow, be careful..."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: so yeah, update! I don't even know how often I will update this thing, and seeing as how the story is a clusterfuck... I mean, straying from what the name and the summary imply/say, maybe it's time I change 'em both, too. I'll just hafta look, but even then, the story will be pretty long at this rate for just a mindless pairing fic. I guess. But it will stick to Bowser/Starlow so don't worry.** **Anyways enjoy this, probably-only-reader, and thank you for giving this story a chance!**

* * *

 _Chapter 2: A nice side_

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's castle._

* * *

Bowser lay comfortable in his bed, nuzzling something warm close to his cheek. It felt so warm that it was helping him sleep, and he was involuntarily smiling from the sensation. He was starting rubbing it on his cheek now, to feel even more comfortable. He let out a sigh of satisfaction, until he... was awakened... when the thing complained?

"Hey, getting too comfortable there!" Complained the warm thing. And he bolted awake in surprise, sitting in the process, staring wide-eyed at the source of the voice, which he instantly recognized.

"Chippy?" He asked in confussion. He rubbed the cheek that was still warm. "What... what happened?" He rubbed his eyes."What hour is it..." He asked confused, then took a deep breath and regained his obnoxious and arrogant attitude. "I mean... why did you wake ME up!?" He roared.

"Aww... did you already forget how comfortable you were cuddling up to me?" Starlow teased in a cocky tone with one eyebrow raised.

Bowser opened his mouth in embarrasement and was at a loss of words. "I.. uh... I agh... er..." He stammered. He then cleared his throat, and looked at the side while rubbing one arm with the other's hand. "I uh... I wasn't." He tried defending himself.

"Aww, but you were basically using me as a pillow." After a while of silence, she raised both eyebrows in confussion, while looking up at the ceiling. "That sounds wrong, I guess."

"... You... y-you feel warm... it helped me sleep..." He shyly explained and Starlow giggled. He looked at her with a frown. "B-but... D-DON'T TELL THIS TO ANYONE! I-I mean... please..."

"Hehehe... don't worry. I know you have a reputation to protect. Your secret's safe with me." She winked.

He pouted while crossing his arms. "Bah! What reputation? Don't you see I'm trapped here in my room with annoying idiots like-"

"Like me?" Starlow asked in a low tone.

Bowser flailed his arms into the air. "YES, YOU! AND KAMEK AS WELL! I DON'T NEED ANY HELP! I'M BOWSER, THE KING OF KOOPAS! I BREATH FIRE... HECK, I CAN EVEN SURVIVE FALLING INTO LAVA! WHAT MAKES ANY OF YOU THINK I NEED HELP!?"

Starlow looked down at the floor with a sad expression on her face, but then looked at Bowser with a determined one. "Then, prove you don't need help."

"Huh? What do you mean now!?" Bowser asked, irritated.

"Get up from the bed... stand up. You should have no trouble doing that if everything you say is true..." She explained.

"Oh, hohoho! A challenge, huh? What makes you think I can't do that!" He sat in the edge of the bed, and put one foot in the floor as if to test it. He constantly tapped the floor with the foot. "See? I'm ok so far!" Then he put the other foot in the floor. He gulped nervously, and rested his hands in the bed, as if to support him. He tried to stand up, and... "GROOOOOAAAAAAAAR!" He said in pain. He was suddenly tackled to the bed. "Oof, hey, what was that!?"

Starlow looked at him wtih a deep frown, teeth gritted. She was shaking her whole body to the sides in disappointment. "I told you, you DO need help! You can't do anything looking OR being like this!" She angrily snapped at him.

"I already told you that I don't need to be helped! I. AM. A KING! I have a whole army at my disposal!" He snapped back.

Before the discussion could turn any fiercer, a voice interrupted them. "Lord Bowser?" Asked the voice, who they recognized to be one of the Boos.

"WHAT NOW!?" He asked while sitting up on the bed.

"May I take today's request for your breakfast?" Asked the Boo in an overly polite tone for such rudeness.

"Of course!" He raised one finger, as if counting numbers. "I want fri-" Then he looked at Starlow, who was staring at him expectantly. He closed his maw and hesitated to answer for a moment. "I... umm... Mushroom soup would be nice, thank you..." He finally requested.

"Of course sir, good choice." Came the reply, which Starlow guessed was as automatic as this Boo's fake politeness. "And anything for the little guest?"

Starlow opened his mouth in confussion, then turned to look Bowser, who nodded. "Um... do you have anything sweet?" She asked while looking at the door.

"Of course, request taken. Breakfast will be ready soon, please be patient." Said the Boo.

"Um, but I didn't even say what I wanted..." She said in confussion but no reply came, the Boo was already gone. "Um... okay..." She turned to look at Bowser again. "S-so any way to kill the time? Hehehe..." She asked sheepishly with an insecure smile.

Bowser raised an eyebrow, but opened his mouth to speak.

* * *

 _Location: Peach's Castle_

Peach was pacing around in circles in the castle gardens, one hand holding her chin, deep in thought. Toadsworth was patiently walking beside her.

Mario yawned. "What is it, Peach? Is it Bowser again?" He simply asked, and Luigi lightly smacked him in the shoulder. "Whaaat? It's too early..." He rubbed his eyes.

"So... Princess, what is the matter?" Luigi asked in a polite tone with a nervous smile.

Toadsworth cleared his throat, and Peach gasped in surprise, as if broken away from her thoughts. She looked at the twins as if it was the first time she noticed them in the gardens. "Oh! Mario! Luigi! I'm... I don't know how to say it..." She began pacing around in circles again. She then stopped, and sighed. "Um, Starlow, she's 'looking after Bowser', but... I'm worried, what if he uses her to get me instead?" She began pacing around in circles yet again.

Mario didn't seem to register this in his tired state. It was 7 o'clock in the morning and he usually woke up at 10 o'clock, or preferably later. So, he rubbed his eyes again.

Luigi seemed to not be concerned, since he just shrugged. " It's a nice gesture from her, Bowser probably needs the help, after all." Luigi simply stated. "Besides, Peach, it's not like he could do much after our last battle."

"But... But... I don't know, maybe I am overthinking this, but..." She sighed in frustration. "Okay, if she's not back by two days from here on, then please, PLEASE, go rescue her. Please?" She asked the brothers.

Luigi just sighed. "Alright Peach, if you're so worried then I guess there is no choice..."

Mario held out a fist in the air. "Yeaaah, yahooo! Good idea Peaaaach..." Then he closed his eyes and started snoring, and the other tree at the gardens looked at him with raised eyebrows.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle_

Bowser chuckled lightly, and light-heartedly, something odd coming from the Koopa king. "Checkmate!" He announced.

"Agh. This isn't fair! You're better at chess than me!" Starlow protested.

They were playing chess, the chess board being atop Bowser's lap, who was sitting in his bed. Bowser had already won 4 times in a row, and Starlow... 0.

"I never expected you to be so good at chess! And you don't get impatient or cheat, either!" Starlow pointed out.

Bowser chuckled again. "Yeah, I've played chess for years now. I guess I picked chess especially because it's so easy to beat my minions on it, so whenever I feel bored, I FORCE them to play against me, and boy, do they suck!" He roared in laughter again.

Oddly enough Bowser's chess board pieces are the typical pieces you could find anywhere, instead of everything being Koopa related. 2 king, 2 queens, 4 rooks, 4 bishops, 4 knights and 16 pawns. That being said, the pieces were made of rocks.

"Oh well, I guess that if you played with someone as good as you, you'd instantly lose your patience and breath fire everywhere." Starlow teased, and Bowser chuckled again instead of being mad and breathing fire everywhere. "I'm not too good in chess personally." She admitted. "I wonder how good would Peach be playing chess, but I'd like to see you try against Luigi!" That last part was out before she could stop herself, and she was already expecting Bowser to get mad over hearing the name, but instead...

"Luigi? Who's Luigi?" Bowser asked, tilting his head to the side, one eyebrow raised.

"Ah, oh... he's the brother of... of..." She hesitated before finishing. "He's, uh, Green 'Stache..."

"Ah, the green plumber." Bowser said casually.

"Y-you don't get mad when hearing about him or anything?" Like with Mario? She was about to say.

"Hmm, not so much, no." So Bowser did know about the words left unspoken...

"Lord Bowser? Breakfast's ready." A Boo suddenly announced.

"Come in!" Bowser said. A Boo entered, and this time, he had a tray with him. There was the soup, a slice of cake, and a teapot along with two cups. The Boo delicatedly put the tray of food in the edge of the bed, lamost at Bowser's feet, but careful that it wouldn't fall off the bed.

"Now leave!" The Boo then turned to leave, but Starlow cleared her throat, and Bowser rolled his eyes but said nothing else. Starlow sighed.

"Thanks for the food!" Starlow said, the Boo looked at her and nodded, then left the room. After he left, Starlow turned to look at Bowser. "Why can't you show kindness?"

Bowser crossed his arms defenssively. "I'm a tyrant. I can't show any sort of weakness!" He said.

Starlow sighed. "Hey, do you need help with the food, anyways?" Bowser just looked at the ceiling with his arms crossed. Starlow guessed he still wasn't ready to stop being so arrogant, so she just silently put the bowl in Bowser's lap, and he began eating without saying anything.

Starlow turned to look at the cake, which she supposed was hers. She grabbed it with her feet and floated away from the bed. She took one bite, and hummed when it was actually good. She took another, and it was even better than before. When she heard eructs, she guessed Bowser finished eating. "Was the soup any good?" She asked, and took another bite of the cake.

Bowser sighed contently while closing his eyes. "Yes. Good thing I ate it yesterday. I would've never known Mushrooms could be so good!" He admitted while rubbing his shell where his belly is.

Starlow took one final bite of the cake, and looked at the tea. "I guess you don't want tea?" She asked.

"Actually, yeah, I do." He said, surprising Starlow.

"Uh, oh. Well, alright, I gues..." Then she poured tea in the two cups, and handed Bowser one of them. She took the other one with her feet and floated away from the bed yet again. While Bowser downed the tea in one gulp, Starlow was having a difficult time from how hot it was.

 _Location: Mario and Luigi's house._

* * *

"MAMMA MIA!" Mario yelled, surprised. "Starlow did just WHAT, Luigi!?" He asked in shock.

"She went to Bowser's castle, alone." Luigi said while rubbing his ears, who were assaulted by Mario's sudden yelling.

"Luigi, this is dangerous! Did nobody seriously try to stop her!?" He asked again, still in shock.

"She went away yesterday at night, we only know because she left a note, probably not to worry anyone, but all she did was worry people even more than just disappearing without explanation, if you ask me." Luigi explained to Mario.

Mario removed his cap and rubbed his temples. "Oh no, Luigi... so what's-a the plan here?"

"Peach said that if she's not back by two days from now on, we set off to rescue her." Luigi briefly explained Peach's plan.

"Two days... two days!? That's too much! And BOTH of us!? Peach knows what we're up against! W-we can't..." He firmly put his hat back on. "I'll go talk to Peach!"

"Mario, don't you think that Starlow can defend herself?" Luigi asked as Mario walked towards the door.

Mario sighed. "We're talking about Bowser, Luigi! Who knows what plot he has in mind to get Peach using poor Starlow! I can't let that happen!" With this, Mario slammed the door shut and walked towards Peach's castle. Luigi just sighed, and went back to drinking his hot milk.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle_

Bowser was pleasantly sipping on his tea, which was odd. "I thought you didn't like tea." Starlow said, blowing steam off the tea to even attempt to drink it.

"I guess you can't say you dislike something before you even taste it..." He simply said while looking at his cup.

"If you're trying to be a philosopher, let me tell you that you're a really bad one." Starlow joked in a mock-warning tone to Bowser, still blowing away steam.

"Good thing I'm a king, then. Just in case." Bowser joked back, then took another sip of his tea.

Starlow hummed. "You kow Bowser... you're nicer than you look... just a bit, though." Starlow said, and Bowser went serious for a very long moment, and there was an unsettling moment of silence in the room. "I'm sorry, did I say something bad?" Of course you did, idiot! She scolded herself mentally.

* * *

 _Location: Peach's Castle_

"Peach!" Mario yelled as he opened the main doors of the castle, then panted for air, resting his hands on his knees. "P-Peach..." He gulped then panted for more air.

"Mario?" Peach asked, entering the foyer of the castle. "What's wrong?" She asked, kneeling beside Mario and placing a hand over his back.

"S-starlow! She's... gone... to... to Bowser's... castle..." He managed to say.

"Ah, you already know..." Peach said, standing up to her full height. "She said that she wanted to take care of Bowser... but she only left a note, though, so that's all I know..."

"I... I need to go there! Save her!" Mario said determinatedly, now standing to his full height now.

"Mario, I have already established, that you should go only after two days from now on." Peach stated.

"But Peach!" Mario tried.

"Those are royal orders, Mario!" She said now in an authoritative tone.

"Peach, she's a Star Sprite!" Mario told Peach as if she didn't know already.

"Yeah, so?" She asked, not getting where Mario was getting at.

"Bowser could exploit her powers against the Mushroom kingdoom!" He stated, and Peach's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both of her gloved hands.

"I... I... I didn't even think about that until now..." Peach admitted in shock.

Mario shook his head. "I'm sorry Peach, but the Mushroom kingdom's safety is at risk... I'm leaving now! Luigi can help if Bowser attacks!" He stated and then got out of the castle at running speed, not letting Peach say anything else.

After a while with a frown in her face, Peach decided to walk out of the castle as well, although she was not following Mario...

* * *

 _Location: Mario and Luigi's house_

Peach knocked at the door of the Mario household three times, then took 2 steps back. She had a yellow and pink umbrella with her, so the sun was not bothering her. After a while, the door started to open.

"Hello!" Luigi said while opening the door. "Uh, Peach?" Then he fully opened the door and stepped aside to let Peach in. Peach closed her umbrella.

"Good morning, Luigi." Peach said while waving at him, and Luigi gave an exagerated bow.

"G-good morning, princess!"

"Oh Luigi, you don't need to be so formal." Peach reassured the green plumber, and he relaxed, albeit only the smallest bit. "Although, I am here to talk to you..." She said in a low tone.

"W-what? What is the matter, princess?" He stammered and cleaned some sweat from his forehead with his forearm. Princess Peach looked outside before closing the door.

"Mario... has gone off to rescue Starlow..." She whispered to Luigi, who just raised an eybrow.

"Oh, did he? That's just like him... wait, why is that so important?"

Peach took a deep breath before continuing. "Luigi, Starlow. Is. A star spirit." She explained Luigi.

"Yeah, so?"

"Bowser can exploit her powers to use them against us!" She said lower than before. "Against Mario!" She said, now barely audible, and Luigi's eyes widened.

"I-I need to catch up to Mario!" Luigi said while reaching for the doorknob, but Peach stopped him by gripping the arm that was reaching for it. He looked at Peach in the eyes. "Peach? What's wrong?"

Peach sighed. "I... Mario said you should stay here, just in case Bowser was preparing an ambush to the kingdom..." She said regrettably, since this made her feel useless, separating the twins in such a situation.

"M-ME!?" Luigi said while pointing a finger at his chest. "I-I... me? Alone? Against a star-powered Bowser!?" He asked in shock. "I-I can't... I-I don't know if I can..."

Peach put a reassuring hand on one of his shoulders. "Luigi, you can do this. You're as much of a hero as Mario." She said, and Luigi gulped away his worries, and after a while, he nodded.

"A-alright... I'll see... I mean, I'll do my best..."

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle_

At the silence, Starlow gulped so hard she could safely bet that Bowser heard it. She was about to break the silence, when...

"I see..." Bowser said while looking at his tea with a serious expression. "But..." He sighed.

"W-what's wrong, Bowser?" She asked Bowser.

Bowser gulped lightly, and now looked at Starlow right in the eyes, with a sad expression. "Do you think that... Peach could ever say the same about me?" He asked hopefully, and there was no arrogancy to be seen in him at all. He wants Peach to think of him not as a monster, but something else...

 _He wants Peach to think of him as something he isn't._ A deep voice that sounded much like hers rang inside her head.

 _He wants to show Peach what he's truly capable of, if given the chance._ A light voice that sounded much like hers rang inside her head.

 _He's a monster._ The deep voice.

 _But maybe he wants to change._ The light voice.

 _Monsters like him don't change, idiot._

 _He needs to be given the chance, otherwise he will never be able to change._

 _He needs to deserve the chance, which he doesn't. He always kidnaps Peach any time he has the chance._

 _But just look at the way he's looking at us... expectantly... he cares about Peach..._

 _Stop talking nonsense, look at how he treats his minions. Like a heartless monster that holds no emotions towards other people._ _But... maybe he truly loves Peach..._

Realization struck Starlow, and she went wide-eyed at the new information. Before she could think straight, her lips were moving on their own. "... You need to prove it to her..." She said.

And the deep voice didn't say anything else.

For now.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't even know why I'm writing this, but I still do. I really really find this pairing to be cute, and I hate how Starlow is portrayed. She's, for most of the time, there to basically just suck Mario off and insult Luigi, and I hate that, so if you find her OoC, that's the reason.** **Anyways, I hope you enjoy this if for some reason you read this, and find the mess of a story to be somewhat decent, too. I also hope this fic reaches its goal of raising awareness towards this pairing, too, which I doubt. Also I'm really sorry if you find this chapter cringy (you'll know what I mean when you catch it).**

* * *

 _Chapter 3: ... a monster, after all._

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle._

* * *

Bowser sighed. "Is that so..." He said, disappointed, and hung his head very low, and closed his eyes.

Starlow gulped. "B-Bowser? W-what's wrong?"

Bowser sighed and looked at Starlow. "Chippy, she- no, they. THEY hate me!" He stated.

"They only hate you because you give them reasons to do so!" She told him.

"Stupid! Do you seriously think that I would want to be hated!" Bowser said, irritated now.

"It's because you always keep kidnapping Peach! That's why they think you're a monster!" Starlow shot back

Bowser growled lowly. "And what does that have to do with anything!?" He asked in a furious tone.

"If you truly loved Peach, you wouldn't kidnap her!" She hovered closer to Bowser. "If you truly loved Peach, you wouldn't endanger her kingdom because of your selfishness!" She hovered even closer, and they were practically face to face. "If you truly loved Peach, then you'd leave her alone! She hates you and there's nothing you can do now!" She said.

Bowser roared so fiercely that the castle visibly shook, and Starlow flinched and hovered away from him. "ENOUGH! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!?" He asked, and the truth is, he truly wanted to know what she was doing in the castle, but Starlow didn't see it that way.

"Bowser... calm down... act like a grown-up..." She said in a frightened tone.

"STOP COMMANDING ME AND ANSWER! YOU SUDDENLY COME CRASHING INTO MY LIFE AND GIVE ME ORDERS AS IF YOU'RE MY BOSS! TELL ME, CHIPPY, WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL!? ANSWER ME!"

Starlow gulped nervously. "Bowser... calm down and... I'll tell you."

"I DO NOT WANT TO CALM DOWN! I WANT ANSWERS!"

"I'm, uh. I'm here because... I wanted to see how you were doing..." She said weakly.

"AGH, I ALREADY TOLD YOU I DON'T NEED YOU!" He took a few deep breaths. "JUST- ARGH. JUST GO AWAY, STOP PESTERING ME, NOW."

Starlow was shocked upon hearing that. "But I only wanted to help..."

"I. DO. NOT. NEED. HELP." He growled. "I NEED YOU TO GET OUT OF MY CASTLE, NOW!"

Starlow took a few deep breaths. "Alright, if you want me to, but..." The star in top of her started glowing brightly, and Bowser suddenly floated in the air.

"W-what are you doing!?" He asked, but got no answer. Suddenly, a pink heart surrounded him. "Chippy, stop this!" He demanded, but got no answer this time either. Suddenly, the pink heart surrounding him broke as if it was made of crystal, and ge slowly descended to... the floor, and he saw that his body no longer hurt, and he no longer had any injuries. He checked his body, all of the bandages were gone. "Chippy... what did you do?" He looked at her. Starlow had her eyes closed and tears were starting to form. She was sobbing, too. "Chippy?"

She shook her body as if a head-shake and she floated towards one window. "Goodbye, Bowser!" She said before disappearing.

"Chippy, wait!" He said but got no response. "I SAID WAIT!" He shouted as if that would change things, but got no response, either. He sighed and sat on his bed.

* * *

 _Location: ?_

Starlow was frowning through her whole way to the Mushroom kingdom.

 _I thought he could change..._ Said the light voice.

 _I told you that he's a monster, after all._ The deep voice reminded her.

The light voice didn't even argue with the deep voice this time.

* * *

 _Location: Peach's Castle._

Starlow arrived at the castle gardens, a little past mid-day, and started looking around. "Hello?" She asked, expecting someone to answer, but nobody did. She was confused. This was odd since Peach was usually at the castle. "Hey? Is anyone there?" She asked again but got no response. She sighed. She'd have to wait for Peach to arrive.

All of a sudden, however, she heard someone gasp. "Starlow!" She heard Peach say. Starlow looked to the entrance of the garden, and saw that Peach was already running up to her. Suddenly she was tackled into a massive hug. "Good thing you're alright! I was so worried!" She said.

"Uh, hey Peach..." Starlow awkwardly said, not being able to return the hug, either.

"Princess please, let this be the last time you get out of the castle without prior warning!" They heard Toadsworth say, and Peach broke the hug. Toadsworth was surprised upon seeing Starlow and started running a finger through his mustache. "Ah, I see that master Mario has finally rescued miss Starlow... that was way too fast." He said.

Starlow could feel her soul being ripped away from her at that moment. "M-Mario? What do you- What do you mean?" She asked.

"Oh, Mario went off to rescue you." Peach said, and Starlow looked at her now. "We initially told him to wait... But he feared that Bowser could use your Star power to take over the Mushroom kingdom." Peach sighed. "And he was right about that, too..." Then she beamed. "But now you're safe, right!?"

"Um, uh, s-safe, yeah..." Starlow said nervously. "Um, when did he leave, again?"

"He left for you this morning, but we have no idea where he is. Although..." He got a pocket watch out of one pocket and looked at it. "I estimate he might be midway through Bumpsy Plains, though..." He put the watch back in his pocket.

Starlow looked around, thinking of something. "And... is Luigi with him?" She asked.

"Uh, no. Mario insisted for him to stay here in case Bowser would try anything while he was gone." Peach said.

"Oh, then... let's go get Luigi, maybe he can catch up to Mario and bring him back!" Starlow suggested with a nervous smile.

"But why so nervous, though?" Apparently Peach could see her nervousness, and Starlow mentally cursed.

"Um... I mean, Bowser's pretty hurt, so I wouldn't want to make it worse due to Mario misunderstanding things..."

"He's hurt, huh? How much?" Peach asked in a worried tone.

"Ah, uh. Very. He's all bandaged and seems like a mummy." Starlow lied, and Peach seemed to believe her.

"Well, I see. We should go warn Mario, then. Time's against us... and against Bowser." Then she opened her umbrella and got it above her head in her usual position. "Let's go, Toadsworth." Then she turned around and began walking towards where she came from.

"Er, yes, Princess!" Toadsworth said and began following Peach.

Starlow followed them, too. She wanted Mario to stop as soon as possible. Truth be told, she was not worried about Bowser. She was worried about Mario. After all, she used her magic to heal Bowser, and she's not sure if there would be any other side-effects, but she surely didn't want Mario to find out on his own.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle._

Bowser now sat in his throne, closing and opening his hands, flexing them. He sighed. Since what Chippy did to him this morning, he felt different, somehow. And not just because he was suddenly fully healed, as if nothing had happened.

"Your Curiousness, is everything alright? You seem to be... off." Kamek said, riding his broom, to be at eye level with Bowser.

Bowser growled in frustration. "Grr. I don't know... ever since this morning... I FEEL off." He admitted.

"Is it because of the Star Sprite? Ah... what's her name... Chi... Chippy?" Bowser growled threatingly upon hearing the name. "Your Badness? Is something wrong?" Kamek asked casually despite one of the scariest creatures growling threateningly at him.

"Just... just leave. NOW!" He warned. Kamek didn't dare to question him and instead decided to go away with only a nod. He closed his fists and looked at them. He thought about everything she told him.

 _They only hate you because you give them reasons to do so!_ Surprised him.

 _It's because you always keep kidnapping Peach! That's why they think you're a monster!_ Shocked him, but he knew she was right.

 _If you truly loved Peach, you wouldn't kidnap her!_ Made him feel self-conscious of his actions.

 _If you truly loved Peach, you wouldn't endanger her kingdom because of your selfishness!_ Made him feel very guilty and regretful about everything he has done.

But... _If you truly loved Peach, then you'd leave her alone! She hates you and there's nothing you can do now!_ It made him feel very angry. He was angry at the truth, which in turn made him feel stupid, too. He felt angry and stupid. His pride was damaged at that moment, so he did the only thing he knew doing beside giving order, which was picking up a fight. Oddly he felt regretful about that, too.

Then he remembered something from before the discussion. _...You need to prove it to her..._ Made him feel hopeful. Maybe Chippy was right and he had to show Peach the side he showed to Chippy. But what made him 'be' that side with Chippy, exactly? It was probably not having the pressure of having Mario come at any moment. If so, then he'd have to somehow manage that WITH the pressure of having Mario come at any moment, then.

He stood up from his throne. "KAMEK!" He shouted.

"Yes, your Evilness?" Came Kamek's worryingly fast entry to the room, but Bowser didn't comment on anything.

"Get me a Koopa Klown Kart ready!" He cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna kidnap Peach again!"

"But you've just recovered, Your Boldness! You shouldn't be going out already!" Kamek said, surprised.

"DO IT. NOW!" Bowser simply shouted.

"Yes, Your Lordness." Kamek said, and went out of the throne room, obviously to get a Koopa Klown Kart ready.

Right now kidnapping Peach and forcing her to bond with Bowser seemed to be a good idea...

Key words being 'right now'.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser Road._

Mario was at the start of the Bowser road, both of his hands at his side, forming fists. He stared intently at Bowser's Castle with a frown in his face. He was about to take one step forward, until.

"MARIOOOO!" He heard Luigi shout. He looked behind and saw Luigi riding an orange Yoshi towards him.

"Luigi? What are you doing here?" He said with a raised eyebrow. Right as he said this, Starlow came from Luigi's pocket, and he fully turned. "Starlow!? What happened?"

"Hey Mario!" Starlow said, then overed closer to Mario.

"What happened?" Mario asked again.

"I got back to the kingdom. See, I'm still fine! You didn't have to worry so much!" She said, then twirled around.

Mario let out a sigh of relief. "And how is Bowser? Any plans on kidnapping Peach?" And Starlow tensed at that for a moment.

"Uh... he's all injured..." She said in a low tone. "He looks like a mummy, even!" She yelled all of a sudden. "So I doubt that he can kidnap Peach, anyways." She finished with a nervous smile.

Mario didn't seem to find this strange at all, since he hummed. "I see. Well, we better go back to Toad Town, right?" He said.

Starlow nodded. "Um, yes, let's go! To Toad Town!".

Then Mario nodded and ran to the Yoshi and jumped in top of it, sitting behind Luigi. "Are you ready, bro?" Luigi asked.

"Let's-a go!" Was all Mario said, and Luigi motioned for the Yoshi to start walking towards Toad Town. Starlow was hovering beside the Yoshi.

"Um... guys, do you think that maybe, uh, Bowser isn't as bad as we think he is?" Starlow asked unsurely.

"The fact he didn't keep you locked away in a cell or something like that doesn't mean that he's suddenly had a change of heart, Starlow." Mario said.

"Um, no, I mean exactly that! Maybe he's not a monster, after all?" Starlow explained.

Mario snorted. "Maybe in a parallel universe, Starlow."

The Yoshi suddenly stopped in his tracks, surprising the other three. "(Actually, parallel universes don't exist, that's stupid!)" The Yoshi said.

* * *

 _Location: Peach's Castle._

Peach was staring at the day sky now, while being in the garden. She was sitting on a small chair beside a fancy tea table. She had her right *codo* in the table, while her right hand was resting on her right cheek. The left arm was spread in the table.

She sighed. There was barely any time where she was actually bored, but now was one of these, and she really wanted to do something entertaining. Maybe even a tennis game, or a soccer game. Maybe even go-kart racing. Or perhaps-

"PEACH!" She heard the familiar voice shout from the sky.

A kidnapping was not on her list of "something entertaining".

A Koopa Klown Kart suddenly appeared in top of the garden, and the Toads there were starting to panick. Peach was looking around the garden now, hands on her lap, thinking about her option. She could just stay put and make things easier, or could try to run away and make things even more tedious.

Before she could reach a conclussion, Bowser lowered the Kart dangerously close beside her, and jumped out of it. "MWAHAHAHA!" Bowser roared in laughter. "NOW you come with me, Peach!" He said while pointing a finger at her.

Peach rolled her eyes, sighed, and got up from her seat, then looked at Bowser. "What're you doing here, Bowser!?" She asked in frustration.

"I'm here to show you how much I love you!" He said almost immediatly.

"By kidnapping me?" She asked sarcastically.

"EXACTLY!" Then he roared in laughter again.

"Anyways, that's not what I meant. You shouldn't be here, Bowser, you're supposed to be hurt!" She said.

"Well, your words definitely hurt me, Princess, but," Then he jumped towards Peach and grabbed her with one arm. "you're still going with me!"

"LET ME GO, YOU MONSTER!" She said while punching his arm, although it had no effect, and Bowser jumped into the Koopa Klown Kart, and started flying with it. "SOMEBODY, HELP!" She yelled into the castle before the gardens were out of sight.

Bowser roared in laughter. "Where is that Mario of yours now, Peach? Too much of a coward to fight a king?" Bowser said while putting Peach down in the Koopa Klown Kart.

Peach crossed her arms. "You know this wouldn't be the first time he fights AND wins you." She said matter-of-factly. "Beside, you haven't answered my question!"

"Oh, yes, I haven't." He said while flying the Koopa Klown Kart, but silence followed. Irritated, Peach was about to say something, but Bowser suddenly spoke. "Chippy helped me." He simply explained.

Peach raised an eyebrow in confussion.

 _Chippy? Who's he talking about?_ Peach wondered to herself.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser Road._

"(The universe is the universe! You can't say there are more than two!)" The Yoshi said, irritated.

"Well, Orange Yoshi, hear me out!" Mario said while counting with his fingers. "The world has THREE parts to it." He started to explain, but was interrupted by a loud laughter.

Starlow visibly tensed upon hearing the laughter, Luigi freaked out, and Mario and the Yoshi started looking around.

Then suddenly, a Koopa Klown Kart approached the quartet, Bowser riding it. "Hey, what are you doing in MY domains, you dirty plumber?" Bowser asked in a furious tone, while pointing to Mario.

"Bowser, what're you doing outta your castle? Aren't you supposed to be hurt?" Mario asked instead.

Bowser roared in laughter. "A little someone helped me." He said, and Starlow was praying for the Beanstar that he didn't mention her fake name. "But that's none of your business, Mario. I've got Peach now!" He said, and as if on cue, Peach peeked her head out to wave frantically at Mario.

"Mario, please, help me!" She begged.

Mario got a very deep frown in his face, and prepared to jump in Bowser's head, however mid-air, Bowser moved out of the way. "Pfft. I've got no time to lose with the likes of you right now! I have plans with Princess Peach!" He roared in laughter, then looked at Mario. "This time you won't be as lucky as last time, Mario!" Then he flied off to his castle. Mario tightened his hands into fists with a very furious expression on his face.

"How could he do this!?" He asked. Then he looked at Starlow. "Wasn't he supposed to be injured, Starlow!?" Mario asked her.

Starlow gulped nervously. "Kamek must've healed him with his magic after I was gone..." She lied. After she saw Mario simply stare at the castle, she calmed down.

"I see he lost no time to kidnap Peach again..." Then he started running towards the castle, deeper into the Bowser road. "HERE I GO!" He shouted.

"H-hey, you seem to be growing softer on me, aren't ya?" Luigi commented.

Starlow turned to look at him. "Huh? What do you mean?" Starlow asked in confussion.

"I mean, you'd normally yell at me for being so scared of Bowser." Then he nervously laughed while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, I guess you're right..." Starlow said, then looked at Mario running towards Bowser's castle. "Uh, hey Mario, wait!" She yelled, and Mario turned around to look at them. "I, uh..." She stammered, she was about to tell him to stop, but realized it might not be such a good idea. "Care for a Yoshi ride?" She said instead, and Mario smiled and ran back towards the trio. He hoped into the Yoshi, and looked at Luigi.

"Luigi, let's-a go!" He said.

Luigi jumped into the Yoshi as well. "Okie dokie!" Luigi said, then Mario motioned for the Yoshi to start the trek towards Bowser's castle.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Uh, yeah. I really dunno what direction I'm taking with this fic.**

 **Like, one part of me really, really wants to portray Bowser as an evil and heartless monster at least for angst's sake, but the other part of me begs me to not do that. It's like I'd physically hurt myself if I did that.**

 **As you probably know I usually listen to the latter rather than the former. HEHEHE.**

 **SO I DUNNO WHAT TO DO!**

 **Anyways do you like how I'm writing all the characters? Yes? No? Suggestions? Ideas?**

 **And sorry for being so late in updating but I couldn't literally be inspired to write ANYTHING at all, I just found a little spark and decided to take advantage of it.**

 **Anyways, on with the chapter 4**

* * *

 _Chapter 4: Troubled minds_

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle._

They were now in Peach's 'designated room' in Bowser's Castle, used everytime she was being kidnapped. Although, usually, she was alone. Now, however, everything was 100 times more unsettling because of a certain 'guest' Peach had, even if she was the actual guest.

Bowser was looking at her with a sheepish smile while holding a tray of cake and tea. She was sitting in her bed with an unamused expression on her face, staring directly past Bowser's soul.

"You want me to what with you?" She asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"W-well, uh... hehe..." He said awkwardly and cleared his throat. "You know, I want us to bond together. Get to know each other better. I believe we can have a new start, yes?" He said hopefully.

"And I should consider this new start to be when you kidnapped me, or right now?" She asked raising one eyebrow and lightly waving one hand beside her face.

"Um..." He cleared his throat. "Right now."

"Oh, lovely!" She clapped once. "So, since the time you have me captive in your castle, is that right!?" She sarcastically asked in a loud tone.

Bowser sighed. "Listen princess, I really want to show you I'm not the monster you think I am..." Bowser said with a sad expression on his face.

"Honestly, Bowser? I do believe you aren't a monster." Peach said, and Bowser smiled, but she continued. "But that doesn't automatically erase the multiple times you've put MY kingdom and MY people at risk because of your evil schemes." She explained.

Bowser slumped his shoulders and put the tray in Peach's bed. Then, he sat in the bed, making it crank with his weight. "Um, listen Princess, I know I don't have the best of reputations, but, could you give me a chance?" Bowser asked, not looking at her.

Peach rised an eyebrow, arms crossed together. "Bowser, at this point in life, you can't reasonably expect me to fall in love with you after everything you have done." She said angrily.

Bowser sighed. "I... I might surprise you..." He weakly said.

Peach frowned. "I'm sorry Bowser, but there's another person now, simple as that." She said, effectively killing any chances he thought he had.

Bowser looked at her with a deep frown in the face now. "It's Mario, isn't it!?" He asked angrily, then growled.

Peach's frown deepened. "What if he is?" She asked defiantly.

"WHAT DO YOU SEE IN HIM!?" He asked angrily now.

"He treats me better than you, that's for sure." She said with a smug look in her face.

Bowser sat up and roared while looking at the ceiling. He then turned to look at Peach and pointed a finger at her. "YOU... YOU... GAAAAAH!" He then stormed angrily out of the room without saying anything else.

About this conversation, Peach was indecise. Should she feel sorry that she was too hard? Or would her anger be stronger than her kindness this time around, and she shouldn't feel sorry?

About this conversation, Bowser was heartbroken. He didn't know how he should feel about this. Chippy's plan didn't work at all; this was all her fault. Peach did, as he suspected, hate him.

And Peach reached a conclussion. Her anger was stronger than her kindness, thus, she was not sorry.

And Bowser reached a conclussion. His broken heart was stronger than his pride, thus, he wanted to cry, but he fought back the tears. He stormed towards the throne room in a mixture of sadness and anger.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser Road._

The Yoshi and the brothers were nearing Bowser's Castle. "(Geez. I wish there was a parallel universe where you guys weren't so darn heavy!)" The Yoshi complained.

"Come on now, we're almost there!" Mario said to the Yoshi.

"I still don't get it!" Luigi said, then looked at Starlow. "Wasn't Bowser hurt, Starlow?" Luigi asked with a worried expression in his face.

Starlow panicked for a brief moment before recovering her usual demeanor. "W-why are you asking that, Luigi? Scared, as always? You should let Mario handle Bowser alone if you'll be like that. Haha..." She said, unsure of herself.

"Come on Starlow, don't be like that with him. Besides, I am a little curious, too." Mario said.

"Guys guys, I already told you, haha... it must've been Kamek." Starlow said nervously.

"But why would they wait until after you were gone?" Mario asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know... maybe Kamek was looking for the right spell... I don't know..." At this point she started hating herself for healing Bowser, since she didn't even know why she did that; she simply felt she should have.

Mario hmm'd suspiciously, but before he could argue any further, he was interrupted.

"(Aff... aff... we're almost here, guys!)" The Yoshi announced.

And sure enough, Bowser's Castle was starting to tower above them...

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle_

Bowser sat in is throne, at... well, at the throne room... in his castle. Looking at the floor with sad eyes. He sighed, and then he rested his elbows at the respective sides of the throne, and held his cheeks with his hands.

He was lost in thought, at the moment. Something that usually never happened, because, to be honest, he found 'thinking' to be a waste of time; he usually left that task to Kamek, or really, any other of his minions.

Come to think of it, that's the reason he was thinking right now, too. Because he wouldn't think, instead, he let someone else do the thinking. He obeyed that annoying voice that has been pestering him ever since that conference day.

Chippy.

And, if he started thinking harder, then he would realise that, for some reason, he always obeyed that voice. Maybe at first he thought she couldn't be a threat inside of him, whatever he thought she was at the time. Now, however, he had no explanation as to why he listened to her, on her 'advice' regarding Peach. That just failed miserably, and got him into trouble, since Peach hated him even more now.

Every time he has listened to Chippy, he has always gotten into trouble, because of her.

This is all Chippy's fault.

Chippy, Chippy, Chippy, that annoying star...

A soft yet threatening growl escaped from his mouth.

And after the growl, a green Shy Guy suddenly bursted into the throne room all of a sudden, startling Bowser out of the throne, the Shy Guy also slammed the door shut, and then he started panting.

"Sergeant Guy!?" Bowser asked with confusion, and then confusion turned into anger. "Hey, why the heck did you burst into the throne room like that!?" Bowser asked furiously.

The green Shy Guy panted some more before answering. "Lo-Lord Bow..." then he started panting again. "Lord Bowser... Mario is... he-here... aff..." then he collapsed into the ground.

"Wait... what?" Bowser asked in genuine confusion. "So soon!?" He asked again, this time irritated. He started growling, but then something clicked in his mind, and he also clicked his fingers. "Mario... is he with someone else?" Bowser asked while approaching the collapsed Sergeant Guy.

Sergeant Guy panted some more before being able to answer. "Y-yes... he's with a... uh... he came here with Yoshi..." then he started panting again.

"Next." Bowser commanded.

"Uuuuh... L-Lu... er... Lu...? G-Green Stache…" Sergeant Guy said, as usual, not remembering the guy in the green hat's name.

"BAH! I don't care about Mario's dumb sidekick!" Bowser snapped. "Are they with an obnoxious yellow ball!?" He asked.

"Huh?" Sergeant Guy muttered in confusion. "Well I guess so... I-I didn't pay attention to my surroundings with the... aff... with the beating they gave us..."

Bowser's mouth turned into a wicked grin after hearing this. "I guess that's enough confirmation." Then he opened the big door of the throne room and exited said room, leaving the door open.

"Y-Your Evilness... s-such lack of manners..." was what Sergeant Guy weakly commented at this action.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle_

Back at the, what you could call main lobby, of Bowser's castle, Mario and Luigi were fighting back against hordes of Goombas, Koopas, and however many minions Bowser had under his command, and they were starting to get exhausted, too.

"H-how many left?" Luigi asked while readying his hammer.

"I don't know!" Mario said while getting ready to jump. "Starlow, can you tell us?" He asked to their eye in the sky, but Sarlow's presence could barely be felt, and she was staring into nothingness, hovering above the Bros. "Starlow? Starlow!"

"Huh?" She asked confused, then she shook herself. "Oh, sorry... I was, uh, distracted!" Then she looked around, and she realised something. "Uh, guys, we're getting cornered!" She said out loud.

"Yeah. Thanks for reminding us." Luigi said while backing from the minions surrounding them, the enemies pushing them to their limits now. "Hey, why are there so many anyways! This seems cheap to me!" Luigi suddenly said.

"Huh. Guess that's what happens when we enter Bowser's castle through the front door, without a plan." Mario stated the obvious while shrugging his shoulders.

And then the floor shook once.

And again.

And again.

And again.

The minions started to disperse.

Again...

"Huh, a quake?" Luigi asked while looking at the floor with a raised eyebrow.

Again...

"I wouldn't be surprised at one in such a volcanic area." Starlow stated while looking at the dispersing minions.

Again...

"Yeah... this isn't a quake, though." Mario said, looking at a hallway in particular.

And the floor shook again.

And Bowser came through the hallway Mario was looking, and he was holding Peach over one shoulder.

"-KNEW I WAS RIGHT THE WHOLE TIME, YOU'LL NEVER CHANGE, BOWSER!" Peach was complaining.

"Shut up, Princess!" Bowser said, shaking Peach to make her shut up. Then he walked closer to Mario, through a path the minions left for him. "Ah, Mario, good old friend. We meet again, this soon." He calmly said. Then he looked at Luigi. "Green Stache." Then he looked at Starlow, and angrily furrowed his brows, and quickly averted his gaze away from her.

"Bowser!" The trio said in mixed emotions, while the Bros. were getting into a fighting stance.

"Bah, fighting you is beneath me!" Bowser said with indifference. "What I want is..." then he chuckled. "... to make a deal with you. Sounds fair?"

"A deal? With you!?" Mario, Luigi and Peach said at the same time.

Bowser chuckled again. "Now, this'll make you laugh, I bet... But..." He pointed at Starlow. "I want her in exchange of your dear princess!" He stated.

"WHAT!?" were the four shouts heard, along some murmuring coming from Bowser's troops.

"Yeah, you heard that right, nerds!" He said, while pointing a finger at Mario and Co., and then he looked around his troops. "And everybody, shut up. NOW!" He roared, which was enough for their troopers to remain silent. He still got a keen eye on them, just in case one dared not to follow his order. Then he looked back at the trio. "So?"

Mario contemplated for a while, a line appearing between his eyebrows, clearly indicating worry, then after a while of contemplation, a determined frown replaced his worry "No deal! We will just-"

"It's a deal, Bowser!" Starlow interrupted Mario, having hovered close to Bowser, an angry, determined frown in her face, staring right at his eyes. Bowser was also staring right at her eyes, and an unnerving tension arose between them, each's frown deepening as time passed.

Then, Bowser broke the tension by roaring with laughter, while looking up at the ceiling, which greatly confused everyone in the room, except Starlow, although her eyes still widened. "Very well, Chippy, I like how stubborn you are, huh!" He pointed out to Chippy. He chuckled. "Now, you know, a deal's only as good as the person doing iiiiit." He stretched out that last word almost as if he was going to start singing. Then, with an angry frown, he looked at Mario for several seconds, and then he non-chalantly dropped Peach in front of Mario while scoffing, and then he walked away from the room, giving his back to everyone in it.

Mario and Luigi, obviously, were checking Peach for any injuries or anything of the sorts, the troopers were confused as to what should they do regarding the Mario brothers, while Starlow just floated in the same place she was, looking at Bowser go. She just stared at him, or rather, past his soul, unnerving and unmoving.

 _Now, you know, a deal's only as good as the person doing iiiiit._ Resonated in her head. She blinked a few times, still looking at Bowser, and she noticed that he briefly looked over his shoulder at her, then pouted, and continued marching towards whenever he was going.

 _Now, you know, a deal's only as good as the person doing iiiiit._ Resonated in her head. She blinked a few times, still looking at the same direction, and before she even noticed it, Bowser was gone without her even noticing. She opened her mouth in slight surprise. Either he was more silent than he seemed, or she was spacing out too much.

 _Now, you know, a deal's only as good as the person doing iiiiit._ Resonated in her head and she understood what Bowser meant by that. Frowning, she floated towards the hallway door where she last saw Bowser, with the full intent of following him.

She just wasn't gonna give Bowser that pleasure; she'd show him that she's a Star Sprite of her word.

And while she made her way towards Bowser, the trio of humans looked at her worryingly, but something told the three of them they should not interfere.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser's Castle_

"Bowser..." she called out, but he ignored her. "Bowser..." she tried again, futile. "Bowser...". After that she just followed him, since the Koopa King refused to say anything. It was a long way and longer hallways they were traversing, and Starlow could bet they were just going in circles. Yep, right, right, right, right. What was Bowser doing or accomplishing?

After a while of this, Starlow decided she had enough of the nonsense and suddenly floated right in front of his face, making him stop, and both stared into each other's eyes, Starlow with a worried expression and a line between her eyebrows and her dark eyes somewhat resembling a moon, and Bowser with a deep frown, although his eyes betrayed he wasn't angry... just, confused? Starlow couldn't know, and Bowser wouldn't say.

Bowser closed his eyes and sighed in annoyance. "What do you..." he said in a soft tone. "What do you want!?" He repeated, this time in a much fiercer voice.

"Um, well, I, uh, know that I haven't known you for a considerable amount of time..." She chuckled. "So I may not be best suited to ask this... maybe Kamek?" She cleared her throat. "Anyway... is... is something wrong?" She said while raising an eyebrow. "I mean... with you?"

"What..." Bowser began, and Starlow was expecting to get her ears blown out of her. "What makes you think that?" He asked in a low tone while his eyelids partly closed in a sad expression.

Starlow was surprised at this strange behaviour. "Oh. Um. I don't... I don't know..." She said, then she looked at one side, and Bowser dropped his gaze to the ground. "But, you know what I think, huh?" The question, which was an attempt to regain his attention, worked, and Bowser was looking at her, still with a sad expression on his face. "People's feelings... they aren't 'thought'! They are sensed!" She said, and after a while of silence, she guessed Bowser didn't understand what she meant. "What I mean to say, Bowser," she readied one of her typical cute smiles for her next words. "nothings makes me 'think' there's something wrong with you... I can sense there's something wrong with you!" She explained. "I should know... I'm a Star Sprite..." she stated matter-of-factly.

Bowser just pouted, crossed his arms around his chest, and looked to one side. "Humph, I see..."

"Bowser..." she said to get his attention again, and although Bowser only glanced at her sideways, she considered it was enough. "There's a whole world of difference between the two... Trust me, I should know..." she said, with a weak smile on her face. Then Bowser looked down at the floor, head still pointing at one side, then at Starlow. Then he uncrossed his arms from his chest, and then he fully turned his head to look at Starlow.

"Uh.. Chippy, if you really want to talk, uh..." to which Starlow eagerly nodded, or, actually, bobbled her whole body up and down, and then Bowser looked around for anyone listening to the conversation. "... This isn't the best place to talk... follow me." Which Starlow did, and Bowser finally broke the circle he was continously walking.

* * *

 _Location: Bowser Road._

The two brothers were carefully mounting Peach on top of the orange Yoshi, all the while Mario looked with concern at Bowser's castle. "Mario." Peach's voice distracted him from his concern, looking up at her, who was looking down at him. "I understand your concerns, Mario, but..." Peach looked at the castle that towered over the four of them. "I don't think this concerns us..." Peach just said. The brothers exchanged a glance, but they understood what Peach fully meant with those simple words.

And thus, they were ready to march back to Peach's castle, and were about to mount onto the orange Yoshi. "(Woah woah woah, hold it right there.)" The Yoshi interrupted them, looking at each of them one at a time. "(Don't even dream about the three of you getting on my back. It'd be too much weight for me, what with your sofa and pizza diet!)"

* * *

 **Merry Christmas, y'all!**


End file.
